The Real Deal Miami

Beckham seeks alternative MLS stadium sites to Little Havana

Nearly a week after plans for David Beckham’s soccer stadium seemed to be falling apart, Miami Beckham United has confirmed that it’s looking at sites across Miami-Dade County.

The Beckham group had proposed building the $200 million Major League Soccer stadium next to Marlins Park in Little Havana, which would require buying out a number of private land owners.

The Miami Herald first reported that a school board vote to approve a partnership with the team had been postponed. And NBC Miami reported on Monday that the stadium deal had been pulled from the city of Miami commission agenda for Tuesday.

In the statement, the organization said through a spokesperson that it is “faced with the fact that some owners are not interested in selling or are seeking completely unreasonable prices.”

While the Little Havana stadium would be built on mostly public land, it would also include a private apartment complex and some commercial property. The owner of a daycare center wanted at least $18 million, according to NBC Miami.

Published reports have said that Beckham is considering land in Overtown. The news comes after nearly two years of Beckham’s team searching for a site.

“Fortunately, we have been receiving interest from a number of private land owners with sites across Miami-Dade County and we are now in the process of evaluating those alternatives,” according to Miami Beckham United’s spokesperson. “David, Marcelo, Simon and Tim appreciate the strong support of our fans and we are doing everything in our power to make our dream of an MLS club in Miami a reality.” [Miami Herald] and [NBC Miami]– Katherine Kallergis